Marriage Isn't Bliss
by hotangelictomboy
Summary: After four months of marriage, Hermione and Severus find themselves torn apart by circumstances beyond their control. Sequel to Crushed!
1. Chapter 1: Good News and Bad News

**A/N: I thank you for all the review I received for my last story and I thank my faithful readers. Crushed was them main story I wanted to finish because of the sequel and because of the third book coming up after this.**

**Chapter 1:** _**Good News and Bad News**_

Hermione looked at the small pink plus sign hovering above her stomach. She was shocked, but suddenly, it all made sense. Her symptoms all fit. She was pregnant. She was going to have a little girl and her husband wouldn't like it. She thought back to the conversation they had on their wedding night, four months ago.

"I don't want children any time soon," Severus had informed her after she had asked him what he thought of having them. Hermione had always imagined herself pregnant only a few months into her marriage. Her hopes had been slaughtered when he had told her that he didn't want children as soon as she did.

Hermione had graduated at the top of her class and found herself pregnant after her graduation. She had moved into Severus' quarters because of their marriage. Over the past few months, they hadn't used contraception in their eagerness and this was the result. Ginny walked into the room and saw the pink symbol hovering above her stomach before Hermione could push her shirt down. Hermione ran into Ginny's arms and cried on her shoulder. Ginny had been the one she had gone to when Severus had told her didn't want children as soon as she did. She didn't think Harry or Ron would understand her dilemma.

Ginny understood. She knew what this meant for Hermione. And for Severus.


	2. Chapter 2: Grimuald Place

**A/N: Sorry the chapters are so short. I'll try to lengthen them a little more.**

**Chapter 2:**_** Grimuald Place**_

Over the next few weeks, Hermione's body began to change. Severus didn't seem to notice; not even when they were in bed together. The exhaustion Hermione felt was taking hold and she found herself sleeping every chance she got, It was the end of June when they went for a visit to Grimuald Place at Hermione's insistence.

Arriving the day before, Hermione had gone to sleep and woke in the morning craving a lemon meringue pie. She now found herself eating a piece of one that she had conjured from the kitchen. Ginny entered the kitchen and laughed, seeing Hermione scrounge down the pie before anyone else woke.

"That baby certainly likes things that you don't," Ginny whispered. Ginny was sworn to secrecy about her pregnancy until Hermione could find a way to tell Severus.

The kitchen filled with people that morning for breakfast and Hermione heard someone ask her, "Have you been gaining weight, Hermione?"

Her eyes filled with tears as she realized that she wasn't going to be able to hide it anymore. She ran from the room and heard Severus yell at the person who had spoken to her.

Hermione laid on their bed and curled into a ball when Severus entered the room. He laid a hand on her shoulder and sighed when she shook it off and sat up. "Why are you listening to what Weasley says?"

"Because he's right. I have been gaining weight," she explained.

"People gain and lose weight all the time that shouldn't make you emotional."

"There is a reason that I'm gaining weight."

"What," he asked confused.

"I'm pregnant."

Severus stared at her for a moment, then stood and left the room with an angry look. Hermione packed her bags and headed to London, leaving Severus with some time to think.


	3. Chapter 3: Pampering

**Chapter 3: **_**Pampering**_

Severus was beside himself with worry fro his wife. Hermione had left when he had given her his irrational reaction to her news of being pregnant and he wasn't sure where she was. She had been gone for three days and he didn't know what to do. Hermione's parents didn't know where she was. They hadn't even known about her pregnancy, and now they were more worried then they had been when she told them she was missing.

Severus had sat down after he left their room and thought about what it would be like to have a child. He pictured a child with Hermione's curly brown hair, beautiful face, and chocolate brown eyes. His heart clenched at the very idea and he smiled when he thought of Hermione playing with their child on the grounds of Hogwarts during the school year. He had gone to tell Hermione that he wanted the baby, but what he had found was not what he had expected. Her bags had been packed and she was no where in sight. No one seemed to know where she had gone and he didn't tell them about the baby. He wanted to speak to Hermione first.

***HGSS***

Hermione walked into Grimuald Place a week after she had left, depressed and weary. She had gone to an abortion clinic and solved the problem. Severus didn't want the baby, so she had made sure she didn't have one.

Walking into the kitchen, she looked around at the faces that were eating breakfast. "Snape is upstairs sleeping," Molly told her.

Hermione left them without eating and went upstairs with her bags. Severus lay sleeping in their bed, looking both peaceful and worried. She set down her bags and sat down next to him, pushing his hair out of his eyes. He stirred for a moment, and then went back to sleep. Hermione changed and slipped into bed beside him, going to sleep. When she woke, she turned to her side and was faced with her husband watching her. She sat up suddenly and looked at the clock; it was midnight.

"Where have you been for the past week," Severus asked.

"I was in London," she answered.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was? I went to your parents' houses for Gods' sake!"

Hermione flinched as he got angry with her. Leaning up, he sighed and pulled her back down to the bed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten angry. It's just that I came back in here to talk to you about the baby and you weren't here. I kept expecting you to come back. If you didn't come back today, I was going to report you as missing to the Ministry of Magic."

"I was coming back," she told him.

"What were you doing in London," he asked, ignoring her comment.

Hermione pulled away from him and tried to stand up, but fell back to the bed.

"What is wrong with you," Severus asked with a note of concern in his voice.

Hermione had been told by the doctors that she should rest in bed for a week, but she had only rested for a few days. Now she was weaker than she had been after the abortion. When Hermione refused to tell Severus what was wrong with her, he went to her bag, and began searching them. Inside was a receipt for the abortion and a bottle of prescribed pills for the pain. When Hermione saw what he was looking at, she went over to him, took them from him, and hugged them to her chest as if they were her very lifeline. But she was still too weak to stand for long and she found the floor coming up to meet her before Severus caught her and carried her back to the bed.

"I'll get you something to eat," he told her before leaving the room.

Severus went downstairs to the kitchens to fix her something from dinner and felt a knot in his chest. He had lost his chance to become a father. Because his temper had gotten the best of him and he had left her with doubt in her mind. It was his fault. He had driven her to do it.

Heading upstairs, he went into their room and set the try down next to her. She ate very slowly and very little. After she was done, he set the tray on the floor and watched her carefully before asking, "Why did you do it?"

"You," she answered, her voice breaking, trying to hold back her tears.

"Me," he asked.

"You didn't want her, so I got an abortion."

Having Severus' suspicions confirmed did nothing but make him feel worse. "I overreacted.," he explained. "I did want the baby."

"It was a girl."

"I wanted her," he repeated after a short pause.

Hermione looked over at his sincere face and said, "You left me after giving me an angry look that told me you thought it was my fault that I had gotten pregnant. It takes two to tango, honey."

"It wasn't your fault. I'm sorry I made it seem that way. I was in shock. I didn't expect you to become pregnant so fast."

"It's been five months since we got married."

"I know."

"Aren't you going to ask me what the muggle saying 'it takes two to tango' means?"

"No. I know what it means. I had a muggle father. I grew up in the muggle world."

There was silence in the room before Severus asked, "What do you want to tell your parents about the baby? I told them because I thought they knew."

"We can tell them the truth or we can say I had a miscarriage."

"Which one do you want to tell them?"

"Telling them it was a miscarriage would be better. They are both against abortion."

"Why aren't you?"

"I was until this. It was the only solution I could think of. I didn't know what else to do. I was only going to stay away for a few days until you calmed down, but I suddenly felt like you wouldn't. So I decided that it was an exception for getting an abortion."

They were both silent as they stayed in the room together. Morning came faster than they expected and Severus headed to the kitchen for a tray of food. Everyone in the kitchen asked him what he was doing, but he didn't answer. Heading upstairs, he opened the door to their room. Hermione groaned as she saw that the people from the kitchen had followed him up. Molly Weasley went to Hermione and tried to make her feel more comfortable by fluffing her pillows and covering her with a blanket while Harry and Ron kept asking what Severus did to her. She got so tired of hearing everyone speak at once that she screamed for them to stop.

"Severus didn't do anything to me. He's been taking care of me since I got back from London."

"Why were you in London," Ron asked her, confused as to why she had left.

"I was visiting some friends of mine."

"Well, then why are you in bed looking really weak?"

Severus and Hermione made eye contact before Hermione answered, "I had a miscarriage."

Ginny went to Hermione and held her as she cried. Hermione knew that Ginny understood she was lying. Soon, she would be obliged to tell her the truth. Gradually, the room emptied as she cried and Ginny held her. Hermione, Ginny, and Severus were the only people left in the room. Ginny left eventually and closed the door. Severus sat down on the bed with his back to Hermione; hating to see her cry even more than hearing it.

Hermione sniffed and wiped away her remaining tears. She turned on her side away from Severus and tried to calm down.

"Are you going to tell everyone that you had a miscarriage?"

"Everyone but Ginny," she said in a tearful voice.

Over the next few days, Ginny, Severus, and Mrs. Weasley were always pampering her, making sure she had everything she needed. Hermione got a surprise a week after being back; her parents arrival.

Severus made no comment as Hermione's mother took over taking care of Hermione. Her father took Severus to a separate room where he demanded to be told why his daughter was in bed, very weak. After being told that Hermione had "lost" the baby, he ran from the room to see his daughter.

Hermione had just informed her mother of the "miscarriage" and she was once again crying. This time, she was crying in her mother's arms. Severus left them alone and left Grimuald Place after leaving a note for his wife, telling her why he left.

_My Dearest Love,_

_It is my deepest regret that I have not told you how much I care for you after all this time. It hurts me more than you will ever know that you did not tell me that you were pregnant with my child. When you left, you hurt me…immensely. I thought that the last conversation we had was to be our last. You will never know how I felt because of this note, but I will be back, I just don't know when._

_Severus Snape_


	4. Chapter 4: Severus Snape's Return

**A/N: I know that this story may seem a little off in character for Hermione, but love makes people do some crazy things. Keep that in mind for the WHOLE STORY. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. Please Review!**

**Chapter 4: _Severus Snape's Return_**

Hermione moved around the kitchen slowly as she did every morning since her husband left, more than a year ago. When she had first read the letter he had left for her, she had believed he would return. Over time, she had stopped believing what he had promised. She lost her energy and was slipping even deeper into her depression than she had when she had gotten her abortion. She only ate when she had visitors, once a day. If her parents or friends felt like dealing with her depression and the sadness in her eyes that had once held so much light and laughter.

Hermione had not gone to Harry's and Ginny's wedding. She had been invited as Maid of Honor, but she had turned it down. She knew that if she had gone, she would see Severus standing there, waiting for her, and he really wouldn't have been there.

This morning, she was cleaning to take her mind off the fact that it was her two year anniversary with Severus. He hadn't been there for their first and Hermione had cried alone the whole day, refusing to let anyone enter her bedroom while she waited for her husband, finally giving up after two days.

Hermione had stopped waiting that day. Now she was trying to rid his memory from his mind.

***HGSSHGSSHGSSHGSSHGSSHGSS***

Severus Snape stepped on the doorstep of Spinner's End and opened the front door. Upon entering, he noticed that it was cleaner than Hermione usually kept it. _She must have been cleaning,_ he thought to himself. Heading into the kitchen, he found his wife's body on the floor, convulsing from a seizure. He dropped his bag and went to her side, stopping it with his wand.

After placing her now sleeping body in their bed, he went to get his bag when he noticed Ginny and Harry standing in the doorframe of his families home.

"She's sleeping at the moment. Come back some other time," he stated.

Ginny walked in the house and slapped him, making his head turn to the side. "Do you have any idea what you did to her when you left? Let me show you."

Before Severus could use Occlumency, visions of his wife during his absence entered his mind. The main thing he remembered was his wife in their home, refusing to leave their room until he came home. While he was in Tahiti on a cruise ship, his wife was depressed and stubborn, still waiting for him. Ginny and Harry left an hour later after telling him all they had witnessed during his absence.

Severus headed back to Hermione and waited until she woke up. He had made his decision.

**A/N: Sorry it's so short.**


	5. Chapter 5: Unexpected Hearbreak

**_Chapter 5: Unexpected Heartbreak_**

When Hermione woke, she saw her husband sleeping in a chair beside the bed and dared not blink, for fear of him disappearing like all the other times. When he woke, her eyes were dry and she refused to blink until he spoke.

"There is no easy way to say this, so I'm going to come right out and say it. I have had a great deal of time to think about this and I've come to the conclusion that we should get a divorce. You don't have to leave this house. Even after the divorce, I will be traveling the country, so you can stay here as long as you wish. We don't need to draw it out any longer than needed. As I see it, you can't argue because you're not wearing you're wedding ring."

Hermione closed her eyes, remembering the day she had taken off the beautiful white gold wedding band inset with diamonds. It had been the same day she had stopped waiting for him to come home. Her heart had been ripped out of her chest by this man more than once. And now he was doing it again. But she didn't argue. She agreed to give him a divorce, which was very hard to come by in the wizarding world.

"One more thing," Severus said, making her open her eyes to look at him. "You need to eat three meals a day. There is no need for you to starve yourself to death." Again, Hermione didn't argue.

Over the next few weeks, Severus and Hermione saw little of each other, both avoiding the other, refusing to give in to their lust.

Hermione stood in the kitchen in a skimpy black dress while cooking eggs when Severus entered, taking one look at her and feeling his body fill with heat. He couldn't help himself. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her just as he had kissed her their first time, in the Three Broomsticks. Her eyes widened in shock, but then closed, as her lust took over.

Severus picked her up in his arms and took her to bed after turning the stove off. They spent to the whole day in bed together, making love.

Later that day with Severus in bed, they both agreed that one of them would have to leave in order to finish off the divorce without the risk of pregnancy.

How very wrong they had been. A few days before their divorce hearing, Hermione found herself pregnant again.

***HGSSHGSSHGSSHGSS***

Hermione and Severus stood before the Ministry of Magic. Hermione refuses to inform Severus of her pregnancy. She was going to keep their daughter to herself.

Severus felt as if he was losing a part of himself while he felt his wife slipping farther away from him. As soon as he had seen that she had taken off her wedding ring, he knew he had lost her. He had waited too long to return to her.

The Minister of Magic was speaking. "Is this divorce an agreement of both parties?"

"Yes," they answered.

"Are there any children to speak of?"

"No," they answered.

The final question caught them both by surprise. "Have you have sexual relations in the time of the divorce proceedings?"

They hesitantly answered yes and Hermione realized her mistake too late. The Minister waved his wand and revealed her pregnancy.

Severus stared at his wife. She had known. He could tell. She had known and had kept his child a secret from him. He was angry. No. He was furious.

"Under these circumstance, I'm afraid we cannot grant you the mutual divorce agreement. Every child deserves to grow up in a home with both parents. Case Dismissed."

Severus and Hermione walked back to the visitor entrance in silence. They aparated back to Spinner's End together, Severus taking no chances of her running with his child. When they walked through the door, hell broke lose. Severus remained calm. His voice low and dangerous.

"Why did you keep this from me?"

"You wanted a divorce, so I was going to give it to you."

"And keep my child from me in the process. Or perhaps you didn't mean to keep it. Perhaps you meant to have another abortion. Did you give yourself another excuse involving me?"

Hermione's chest got a tight not in it. She found herself holding back tears. Not bothering to answer his question, she went to the bathroom and locked the door with her wand. Severus followed behind her, calmed down, and regretting his hasty words.

"Hermione, open the door."

She didn't answer. Trying his wand, he couldn't get it opened.

"Hermione please open the door. I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I just said. I was angry. You were going to keep something from me that you kept from me last time, too."

Silence answered him.

"Hermione, this isn't going to help us put together our marriage……Fine, if you don't want to answer me, I'll just wait outside this door until you're ready to come out."

Inside the bathroom, Hermione sat with her back against the door, silently crying. She didn't understand how Severus could believe something like that of her. Yes, she had gotten an abortion, but her hormones getting the best of her and he had made her think he didn't want their child. She had been depressed after the abortion and he had left her. The baby had been pushed to the back of her mind in all the time she had been waiting for him to come back. Now that he was back, she remembered how hard it had been to do what she had done. She remembered the pain she had gone through. She remembered the heartbreak of losing her first child. Severus could not have known what she was going through, or he wouldn't have said those things. He wouldn't have made her remember the pain she could still feel in her chest every second.

A few hours later, Hermione left the bathroom after taking a bath and calming down. Severus sat outside the door, sleeping. She silently crept past him and entered their bedroom, locking the door with her wand again. She changed into her nightgown and promptly went to sleep.

Severus woke from a crick in his neck to realize that the bathroom door was opened and his wife wasn't in there. Going to their bedroom, he tried to open the door. Finally going to the guest room, he laid on the bed and went to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Visit to St Mungo's

**Chapter 6: **_**Visit to St. Mungo's**_

Hermione and Severus woke the next morning and entered the kitchen together. Neither of them spoke as they entered nor as they sat down to eat breakfast. When they finished, Severus spoke first. "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday. I didn't mean it."

"Obviously it crossed your mind or you wouldn't have said it."

"What did you expect me to think when you kept this child from me just like the last one."

Hermione sat silently for a few minutes before speaking. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to make a decision like that? To know that you will never get to hold that child in your arms or hear it cry, or hear it laugh? To think that your husband would support you in your decision. And then find out that he doesn't blame you, but he still doesn't support you in that decision."

"No, I don't. I don't have a husband. But I do know what it's like to know that I will never hold that child or hear it cry or hear it laugh."

"Then why would you say something like that to me," Hermione screamed and stood up from her chair, crying. "Why would you make me go through this pain again. Why would you even think that I would want to go through that pain again? Of losing this baby?"

"I wasn't thinking. I was angry that you had kept this child from me."

Hermione slowly say back down in her chair and waited for him to say something.

"Why did you want to keep this child from me?"

"You wanted a divorce, so you obviously didn't want anything to do with this baby. I decided to raise her on my own."

"Another girl," he asked, his heart filling with joy, his face indifferent.

"Yes," she answered.

Severus stood and walked over to his wife, pulling her up into his arms, kissing her and then holding her close. "I love you, Hermione."

Hermione stood, stunned at his exclamation. "If you love me, Why did you want a divorce?"

He looked at her and answered her truthfully. "When I was gone, I didn't realize how depressed you were or I would have come back. When I got back last month, and you weren't wearing your wedding ring, I thought I had lost you. I thought your depression was just due to you teenage years."

"I still am a teenager. Technically."

"You'll be twenty in September."

"So why did you want the divorce?"

"I assumed that you would want one, so I did it before you could break my heart."

"I love you, Severus. I don't want a divorce. I never did.

Holding her closed still, Severus let her love sink into him.

"I have an appointment at St. Mungo's Maternity this morning."

"When?"

"In half an hour."

"Then let's go."

Gathering their belongings, Severus and Hermione left Spinner's End and aparated to their destination. Half an Hour later, a mediwitch came to greet them and took Hermione into her private room. Sitting down, Hermione came up with an idea to test her husbands love for her. She spoke to the mediwitch, who was only too happy to help her out and then left after learning that she was perfectly healthy for the test.


	7. Chapter 7: Fighting a Losing Battle

**A/N: This is the final chapter of this story. The final book in the trilogy should be up by tonight. I hope you enjoy both of them. Please Review and tell me what you thought of the book.**

**Chapter 7: _Fighting a Losing Battle_**

Hermione and Severus mended their relationship and grew closer as Hermione's pregnancy progressed. They began to be honest with each other and Severus went back to Hogwarts for Potions. Their lives were going perfectly, but Severus never expected Hermione's "test."

Hermione went into labor on October twenty-fifth. Severus received the owl in a class and dismissed them before leaving for St. Mungo's in a rush. By the time he got there, Hermione was prepped for the birth and sending furtive glances at the nurse who they had met at Hermione's first appointment, eight and a half months before.

Hours passed as Hermione became more and more agitated trying to push the baby out. The Mediwitch told her to stop pushing suddenly. "The baby is too large for your hips. You're beginning to hemorrhage and there is no way to stop it with the baby still inside you. As bad as it is, we may not be able to stop it after the baby is born. You need to make a choice. Either we kill this child, or you push. If you push, you may likely die."

Severus looked down at his wife and felt suddenly helpless. He wanted this baby, but he didn't think he could live without his wife. However, it seemed that Hermione had made her decision. She was pushing. Severus heard a crying baby before he was pushed out of the room and more nurses and Mediwitches came rushing into the room. Harry and Ginny Potter were in the waiting room with their own new born and asked him what was happening. The Weasley's were there as well, pounding him with questions. He never answered. He stood there, staring at the door to the room where his wife was dieing. He could still hear his daughter in the room, crying.

There was a long silence in the room except for the crying baby. The Mediwitch that had brought his daughter into the world came out and looked very sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Mr. Snape. There was only so much we could do for her."

The Weasley's, and the Potter's all became suddenly silent. They now knew what had happened. His wife was dead. Their friend was dead. "Can I see her," Severus asked.

"I'm afraid not, sir. She made the request right before she died. My guess is that she didn't want you to see her that way."

Severus left the hospital for an hour before returning to see his daughter. She had a small patch of straight brown hair and his thin mouth. She looked so much like him he almost wanted to cry. But he didn't He hadn't cried since he was a teenager and he would never make that mistake again. Not even at his wife's death.

***HGSS***

One week later, Severus stood with his daughter in his arms at his wife's funeral. There were only a few friends and close family there; Hermione's parents and the Golden Trio along with the Weasley's.

The closed casket made it harder for Severus to comprehend that his wife was dead. Never seeing her body would put a doubt in his mind for the rest of his life. Turning to Hermione's mother when the funeral was over, he handed his daughter over to her. "I can't have her around. I want you to take care of her. I'll send money for her care and birthday gifts and Holidays, of course. But, I will never see her. I ask that no one tell her who I am. He kissed his daughters forehead and left without looking back. He would be haunted by the memory of Areyah Eileen Snape for the next eleven years.

**A/N: I hope you realize what Hermione was doing when she was "testing" him. And I hope you're not too mad at me for leaving the story there. Please Review**


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